Have you ever felt the awkward stillness of waiting for someone at graduation... only for them to never show up?
The wind drifted lazily through the schoolyard, brushing against his cheeks, carrying with it the rustle of dry leaves. It was as if nature itself whispered, "There's nothing left here for you. It's time to move on."
"I guess... she left, huh?"
Sitting alone among the fading crowd was Kang Dohyun, swallowed by loneliness, with only the evening breeze to keep him company. The world around him felt indifferent, as if it, too, was urging him to give up and return home.
He had been waiting for Han Jiwon—the girl who had promised to meet him after the graduation party, behind the school's courtyard. For this day, he had prepared countless times in his head. Today was supposed to be the moment he finally confessed his feelings, the end to years of silent yearning.
But Jiwon never came.
No words. No goodbyes. Not even a fleeting glimpse.
His phone screen glowed faintly, filled with unsent hopes:
Where are you?
Are you okay?
The graduation ceremony has ended.
Each message was sent into the void, unanswered. Her status remained unchanged, as though her very presence had vanished from the world. No replies. No "seen." Nothing.
It was as if she had erased herself from his life in an instant.
Dohyun couldn't understand. He couldn't think of any reason she might leave without a word, without a trace. He sat there on the old bench—once a place full of shared memories—now unfamiliar, cold, and distant.
"...What is this feeling?"
The silence pressed down heavier than the night sky. The remaining school guards moved about their duties, leaving him there with nothing but the weight of despair. His expression was lifeless, his body hollow—like a ghost clinging to the last remnants of something already gone.
"...I guess it's time to go."
And so, three years passed—along with the memories he once cherished, while the trauma of that day continued to follow him like a shadow.